Scientists use sound waves to deliver a new attack on deadly brain cancer

Scientists at the University of Virginia have developed a promising new strategy to fight glioblastoma, one of the deadliest and most difficult-to-treat forms of brain cancer. Their experimental approach combines focused ultrasound, tiny nanoparticles, and genetic molecules called microRNAs to attack multiple cancer-driving genes simultaneously. Scientists use sound waves to deliver a new attack on deadly brain cancer.

The new approach could help overcome some of the biggest obstacles that have limited the effectiveness of existing brain cancer treatments. The research team, led by UVA’s Roger Abounader, MD, PhD, identified tiny genetic molecules known as "microRNAs" that can interfere with several genes responsible for the development and growth of glioblastoma. To deliver these molecules into the brain, the researchers combined specialized nanoparticles, focused ultrasound and microscopic bubbles.

Together, these technologies offer a way to temporarily cross the brain’s protective barrier, which normally prevents many treatments from reaching brain tumors and other neurological conditions. "This new approach could help target many molecules that promote cancer growth, including those for which no drugs exist, at the same time to achieve better therapies," said Abounader, a professor at UVA’s School of Medicine in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, as well as its Comprehensive Cancer Center and Center for RNA Science and Medicine. "We are hoping to translate our findings into future clinical trials for patients with glioblastoma and other brain tumors." Why Glioblastoma Is So Difficult to Treat Glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults and one of the most aggressive forms of cancer.